Florida Gators legend Billy Donovan steps down as Bulls head coach

Former Florida basketball head coach Billy Donovan is no longer the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

Donovan stepped down as Chicago's head coach on April 21, the Bulls announced on social media, ending a six-season run with the franchise.

In a statement, Donovan cited conversations with ownership regarding the future of the organization as the driving force behind his decision. His record with Chicago was 226-256, ranking fourth in franchise history in wins.

The Bulls made the playoffs once under Donovan in 2021-22 and qualified for the NBA's play-in tournament three additional times, but never advanced past the first round.

For Florida Gators fans, Donovan's name carries a different kind of weight entirely. Before his NBA career, Donovan spent 19 seasons in Gainesville building one of the most decorated programs in college basketball history.

He arrived at Florida in 1996, inheriting a program that had won just 12 games the year prior and proceeded to turn it into a perennial national power. By the time he left for the NBA in 2015, he had compiled a 467-186 record in Gainesville — the best winning percentage of any coach in program history — along with six SEC regular season titles, four SEC Tournament championships and four Final Four appearances.

Donovan led the Orange and Blue to national championships in both 2006 and 2007, making Florida just the seventh team in NCAA history to win consecutive titles at the time.

The 2006-07 squad, featuring Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green, is widely considered one of the greatest teams in college basketball history, finishing 35-5 and leading the nation in field goal percentage and margin of victory that season.

In 2007, Donovan also became just the second coach in SEC history to guide his team to multiple national championships, joining Adolph Rupp in that exclusive club.

Donovan was into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest coaches the sport has ever seen.